When insoluble, solid, discrete matter is transported with liquid, typically water, at some point it is often desirable to separate much of the water from the solid material. This is true whether the water and solid material are a waste product or whether the water is added to facilitate transport of the solid, or both. Water-entrained solid matter waste products are common. Efficient disposal of such product dictates removal of much water before disposition. One way of doing this is with a liquid separator. An example is the separation of water from turkey-feather water slurry that results as a byproduct of turkey processing. Other uses are for canneries, pulp mills, food processors, bagasse, and the like. Silage is a commonly transported water-solids combination. Slurries are commonly used to move solid material from place to place. The water-solids combination moves with less friction than the solid itself. New solid material moving pumps have made this method of material transport feasible.
Typically, the water-solid mixture contains between 85 to 95 percent water. Below this range, the material becomes difficult to pump. If, through the use of a liquid separator, the water content is reduced to the range of 50 to 70 percent, the weight of the mixture is reduced a great deal. The resultant material is much more concentrated and susceptible of disposition with less pollution consequence. Various devices utilizing augers and presses are presently used for liquid separation. Present machines employ mechanical plugs controllable to maintain pressure in the material to extract fluid.